Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-11-24
A VALIANT FIGHT.
How Rochester, N. ", wrestIed With
the Telephone and Won.

Rochester, n, Y, is the only city in
the United States which does not gen.
orally use the Bell telephone!
On the Goth of November, 1856, about
seven hundred subscribers hung up
their phones, and they have been hung
up since!
1t is the most noteworthy fight with
a corporation ever known.
The cause of it was the attempt of
the local Bell company Whose officers
all lived in.0nother city, to exact rate
per message from the subscribers, in
stead of a "fiat rate" The people re-
sisted it, the courts sustained the posi-
tion that the license was revOkable at
will, the Common Council revoked
1t. The company ignored this action,
and, without permission, erected poles
in the streets and strung additional
wires; but the courts held that this was
unlawful. n.t
According to the message rate, a
house like III. H. Warner & Co., pro-
prletors Of Warmers safe cure, who
were among the heaviest patrons,
would have to pay something like
81 600 year for the same telephone
service as before.
For city of l25, 900 people, Roches-
ter has made good many sensations.
Sam Patch and his deadly leap, the
Fox sisters spiritual rappings, Seward's
~lrrepressible conflict" speech, Susan
b. Anthony's attempt to vote, the
cometary discoveries of DIR. Swift, of
Warner observatory, have each made
the city the talk of the world;n she
leads in the manufacture of proprietary
medicine, and her immense nursery,
shoe and clothing interests puts her in
the front rank.
The origin Of one of her greatest in
dustries is interesting: About ten years
ago one of her foremost citizens was
stricken down in the very height of a
successful business career, with what
his doctors said was an incurable dis
ease. They gave him up to die. He
then used what is now known as War
ner's safe cure, and since then has de-
veloped as the worlds great champion
of the people against the assumed
monopoly of physicians over the treat
ment of disease!
His fight, too, has been determined
one, and as successful as determined.
To-day he is the head of the largest
proprietary medicine business in the
world, having branch houses aud
laboratories in London, England, To-
ronto, Canada; Melbourne, Victoria;
Sydney, New South Wales; Frankfort,
Germany; Prague, Austria; Rangoon,
Burmah.
Many foreign governments will not
permit the manufacture and sale of
proprietary medicines of any name or
nature until their formul@, value and
harmlessness are by them established,
after the most searching scientific in
quiries. In every case Warmers safe
lcure has passed examination with the
highest satisfaction to the government
1 chemists and analysts, and sought-for
permission has been granted, which no
other American has before secured.
This confirms the magnificent repu-
tation given it by leading physi-
clans, ministers, senators, congressman,
lawyers and ladies of the world. sits
secret of success" says the leading
physician at Clifton Springs, N. Y,
sanitarium, "is the simplicity of its
compounds and the proportions in
which they are compounded
"How do the people get on?n
The.universal verdict is: "We don't
miss the phone, except to our profit"
There has been practically no break
in the united opposition begun last
November.
The American is getting to be quite
as tenacious of his personal rights as
against conspiring monopolies as is the
typical Englishman, and this Roches-
ter telephone episode is noteworthy
illustration of the fact.